![]() Garmin can’t play trivia games or search for stuff online, but it does have better control over the tablet itself. Including Alexa and ‘Hey Garmin’ in one device was completely unnecessary, especially since they share the same primary feature: offering up directions. Unfortunately Garmin doesn’t seem to control music playback, which is a pretty bizarre oversight.Īll in all, the hands-free support on the DriveSmart 86 seems like a huge missed opportunity. Not only can it make and receive calls from your phone, hands-free, but a ‘Hey Garmin’ command can also be used to do a bunch of other interesting things.That includes checking on traffic conditions, check footage recorded on Garmin’s own range of automotive cameras, and rudimentary control over the tablet itself.Īnd by that I mean you can use your voice to change volume or brightness levels. Garmin’s built-in voice control has the upper hand here. Unfortunately, the Alexa integration is more limited than you might like, and there are some notable features missing. That way you don’t need to fiddle with the screen a lot when you’re driving. So you are effectively talking to the DriveSmart display, but your phone is doing all the legwork.Īlexa can do most of the things you’d do with an Echo device, including controlling smart home gadgets, reading news bulletins, playing games and answering general questions you might have.Īlexa even connects to the navigation system in the DriveSmart tablet to help you get around. Like the Amazon Echo Auto, the display connects to the Alexa app on your phone via Bluetooth and acts as the middleman. One bonus feature in the DriveSmart 86 is the inclusion of Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant. Garmin DriveSmart 86 review: Hands-free control and Alexa Alexa doesn’t offer much in the way of practical use, but it does give you a better connection to any Echo devices you already own. The Drive app will also set up Alexa for you, if you want it, provided you have the Alexa app installed on your phone. The whole process took a couple of minutes, maximum, including the time it takes to download and register with the Garmin drive app. Setting up the DriveSmart 86 was remarkably simple, and the software itself walks you through the entire process. In other words, you can’t set it up inside a large van, truck or some other kind of vehicle and have the route planning take that difference in size into account. The software lets you choose your fuel type and emissions ratings, but from every way I look it’s clearly been built for car users. One thing the DriveSmart doesn’t have is an option to change your vehicle type. Pairing with a Garmin Backup camera (available from $150) also lets you use the tablet to see what’s behind your car, in case your vehicle doesn’t have its own built-in camera system. Garmin dash cam owners can also connect them to the DriveSmart and view archived video footage. So while useful, the DriveSmart still isn’t offering anything unique in this regard. Yet again, Google Maps and Apple Maps offer similar features that do virtually the same thing. But obviously we don’t condone speeding, and the cops definitely won’t appreciate it. Every driver assistance feature, speed warning included, can be switched off in the settings if you’d prefer. Any drivers prone to speeding will find this especially useful, since the tablet will keep pinging at you until you slow down. The tablet informs you of this about a third of a mile away from each hazard, and then counts down the distance until you get there - all while keeping a prominent, but also non-distracting, warning bar at the top of its screen. It has hands-free control, which we've already discussed, but there are other features thrown into the mix as well. Naturally the DriveSmart 86 comes with more than just the ability to get you around. Meanwhile live services, like traffic updates, only work if you’re connected to the Garmin Drive app. However, this is done by connecting to your home Wi-Fi network since it doesn’t have a standalone data connection. It’s also worth mentioning that the DriveSmart needs an internet connection to stay up to date on traffic and road closures. Fortunately, the live navigation functioned exactly as it should, with no noticeable lag or location issues. Generating directions to certain places, especially long distances away, can also take a fair bit of time, but that’s actually pretty common among GPS apps. Tapping on a location or any on-map graphics causes a delay of several seconds, while the feature that lets you edit a route manually was so laggy the tablet seemed to give up on even letting me try. ![]() The navigation app also had a tendency to freeze at certain points - primarily when I was trying to do something to the map itself.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |